So you want to know, “How fast is this G35 coupe?” built by Speedhawaii.com / Vakamon Motorsports in Honolulu, Hawaii. According to Farid Herschend, owner and builder of the vehicle, it’s fast enough to make you spout expletives. When Farid was looking to build a new demo vehicle for his shop, the choice was obvious – an Infiniti G35 coupe. Obvious, because it offers the “fun to drive” aspect of being rear wheel drive;  because there are a good amount of parts available for it; because it serves up a bit more “VIP”-ness over its sister car the 350Z. Vakamon built the G to be a fast and fun street car while still being able to track it in time attack events. When we asked Farid what his favorite point of the car was, his answer came quickly - “The engine.” Controlled by a reflashed stock ECU, they were still able to create 510WHP on 91 octane pump gas. On race fuel, horsepower figures jump to an almost unstreetable 685WHP. However, the claim is the G is still capable of daily driving as well as it is reliable enough for long road trips.

We really wanted to know what was modified to make this beast of a street car. It started out as a 2004 Infiniti G35 base model Coupe. As soon as the car was delivered the VQ35 engine was removed and torn apart to lay the groundwork for some soon-to-be much needed internal work. For starters a plethora of FRD parts were installed, including an S1 Spec high lift camshaft set, heavy duty valve springs, and a custom aluminum chambered intake manifold. A set of CP forged pistons were installed into the block and matched up with Pauter connecting rods. To make serious power, two TDO5H-18G turbines with custom trim specifications were installed in twin turbo fashion. Mated to each of the turbos are GReddy Airinx-II air filters; on the block’s receiving end the turbos are mounted to GReddy turbo exhaust manifolds. A single GReddy blow off valve, mounted just after the GReddy intercooler, is used to help control spool characteristics. A GReddy Profec E-01 boost controller is on board to help control boost duties.

To help expel unspent boost, twin 38mm Tial wastegates were installed. Of course, the fuel system needed an upgrade from stock so 720cc injectors were put into the stock fuel rail, which they have determined as being more than capable of handling the flow of fuel. And once all the fuel, spark, and spent exhaust gases are done, the FRD downpipe, Y-pipe, and single 80mm exhaust take care of the rest. All these added goodies help make the near 700hp on race gas.

Now, what good would all this power be if you can’t turn or stop? Project Mu 6 piston 14in. front brakes in conjunction with 13.5in. 4 piston rear brakes were an obvious choice.  For rollers, Volk Racing TE37 were in order; rocking a 19x9.5” front and 19x10.5 rear, this G has plenty of stopping power to go with all the grunt. For the track Toyo RA-1s were called upon to wrap up the Volk rims.  245/40/19 up front, with some 275/40/19 out back; that equates to plenty of traction anywhere you want to go. Helping with the turns are a set of RS-R iShock Coilovers which are actually the first set imported to the US for the G35. Finally, helping both wheels spin out back at the same time a Nismo GT Pro 2-way limited slip differential was installed in the rear end.

Wanting to keep the car looking cool as well as being a high performance vehicle, Farid needed to choose some aero parts that would draw attention even when the G wasn’t moving, so he decided upon an Ing’s +1 aero kit;  side skirts, rear trunk spoiler, headlight “eyelines”, LX fenders, and front half spoiler. Also, silver and blue 2-tone paint was put on and a Seibon TS carbon fiber hood finished up the hard parts.

Farid is of the mindset that there is NO need to have an upgraded mobile audio system in a car that roars like this so the factory system was left intact. Inside the rest of the street terror, there were some real important pieces that needed to be installed. For starters, an FRD custom 8 point roll cage was installed to protect the driver in case of any incident. To keep the driver and front passenger planted in their seats, twin bucket seats were installed - a Recaro Hans for the driver and SPG-Racer seat for the passenger. Strapping the driver down to the Recaro seats are some Takata MHP-304 racing harnesses - the passenger is left with the factory belt restraint system. For directional control, a Momo Prototipo Steering wheel mated to a Sparco quick release steering wheel hub were used. And, for those of you that aren’t already familiar with this vehicle, World Famous driver Tarzan Yamada has been the pilot of this particular G35, in which he sometimes likes to get sideways. For that, FRD also installed their SPL drift shift knob and SPL brake in place of the stock elements.

Maintaining a watchful eye on the engine is vital to this street and strip terror, so a plethora of Defi BF series gauges were installed in conjunction with the rest of the factory display. With these, a more precise assessment of the engine’s coolant temperature, boost pressure, oil pressure, and exhaust gas temperature.

As if the front-mounted intercooler, monster brakes, aggresive aero enhancements, and menacing exhaust note weren’t enough, a complete custom graphic design was installed by Euphoric Designs. The dichotomy of this attention garnering ride is that it exudes both luxury and performance in a manner that is both subtle and completely overstated - a very impressive performance luxo ride, indeed.